By John Matonich
I was thinking the other day how our society has become so entrenched in things immediate. It is tax season so the ads covering TV are on the advances you can receive after you file your taxes. Even though it usually only takes a couple of weeks to receive a refund if you are lucky enough to get one, I guess that big screen TV is calling and the one you bought last year isn’t cutting it anymore.
It is the same in our news. “Breaking News” has become such a common tagline; I don’t even pay attention anymore. We seem to have a thirst that cannot be 
quenched. We see news commentators immediately at the scene of something thought to be newsworthy, but once the main story is reported, you can see them struggling with what to speak about next. I was watching some of the coverage of the fires in California and it got to the point where the commentators were actually examining some of the gear being worn by the firefighters to make sure it was up to snuff in doing their duty. I would have rather learned more about the dedication those firefighters showed in those horrible battles than whether the gloves being worn could hold up to the challenge. I know a lot of firefighters and they care as much about their equipment as anything because they know how important it is to keeping them safe.
Early in my career, there weren’t any cell phones or even computers, for that matter. Oh my gosh, how did we survive? Well, plans were drawn by hand on a drafting table and a lot of snail mail was sent out. Messages were taken by a receptionist and a little pink slip was put into a slot with your initials on it for you to retrieve when you returned. Clients understood when you weren’t in the office and knew they would receive a return call when you got back. Today the demand is for cell numbers so immediate info and questions can be obtained even if it could wait.
Back in the day, lunches were spent in the office kitchen where conversations around family, sports, politics or client news took place. Today, folks really don’t stray too far from their computer to be sure to catch up on what the latest Facebook news is. Lord knows I couldn’t survive if I didn’t know that Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers is now dating a female NASCAR driver. I don’t know who she is since I didn’t look at Facebook to find that out and really don’t care. I hope he is happy and can now get to the stadium faster if she drives.
I am afraid this will only get worse as our drive for the most current useless information continues. I think I am going to start a Twitter account just so I can let folks know quickly that I finished my coffee and now have to visit the little boys’ room. I am not sure that is very important info, but maybe if I add which sweatshirt I am wearing today, it will get some attention.
And that’s the situation as I survey it …
After a 35-year career downstate livin’ amongst da trolls, during which he built a successful engineering and surveying business, John Matonich is back home in da U.P. His column will appear here occasionally, don’tcha know. His book “Surveyin’ Da Situation” is available on Amazon.com.
Image credit: allen
So right John! As soon as we find something that cuts more time from a project, we fill that newly attained space with more stuff that usually stresses us, even a little. Then everyone says, “Where did the time go?”
This very day people will say, “Where did January go? It’s already the 20th!”
One sad result as you pointed out about lunch time at work, our new best friends are Facebook and Twitter. But you can find out something about your co-worker in the next cubicle by reading it on facebook. You don’t even have to turn around and actually talk.
I dumped facebook a few months ago. YAY! Don’t miss it one bit!!!
You have said it well, Linda
Right on John! I upset a few people because I never turn my cellphone on unless I need it for an emergency such as a flat tire, or running out of gas. The truth is, I don’t want to be connected to the world every single moment. The television news is next to useless. To be truly informed about the world you need to read a paper and get something beyond a 40 second headline.
Judith, so happy there is someone else in this world that keeps their cellphone turned off unless there is an emergency. I really thought I was the only one!
I certainly agree about reading the newspaper… much better than online stuff
Amen, John! You are so right!
Thank you, Tina…
I wonder, could we go back if we suddenly lost our ability to receive instant gratification? Would anyone dare drive across the country without their GPS? Or risk having their car breaking down and not having a smart phone to call triple AAA with. My gosh, whatever would we do? Just the thought of it incites panic. How did we survive before technology?
Seriously though, there was a time when if our car broke down, we could just walk to a nearby residence and ask the nice people if we could use their phone, and they were often more than happy to help with that and more. Now, I am not sure that is a good idea. People seem to be more guarded and suspicious. I blame technology and cable news for that. I hear keeping people afraid is good for business.
We used to be able to use pay phones too, but I haven’t seen one of those in a long time